For Jeff, life was one big game. He did not work, drove an expensive car, always had plenty of cash in his wallet, and lived in a beautiful condominium on the beach. He had plenty of money of his own, but that did not stop him from gleaning from family members.
At a party he appeared to be attracted to Nina, who was obviously new in town and did not know anybody. Nina still vividly recalls their first meeting: Jeff approached her and introduced himself with a warm hug. She was flattered by his attention and relieved to feel welcomed. She was immediately drawn to him – he was strikingly handsome and charismatic. When Jeff walked away to get Nina a drink, an older woman that had been standing close by bee-lined over. She leaned into Nina’s ear whispering loudly, “Watch out for him, he’s a shark.” But the warning fell on deaf ears since Nina was already very curious about and excited by Jeff.
Early in their relationship, Jeff would “borrow” things from Nina and not return them. He cunningly manipulated Nina into lending him her beloved objects, but no matter how hard Nina tried, she could never recover her possessions from him. Each time this happened, Nina would hear the same little voice inside her head mutter, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” But she would appease herself by focusing on the fact that it was only an inanimate object that she had lost. Deep down, she knew the truth was that she lost a little piece of herself with each incident. But Jeff’s charisma and boyish handsomeness sang louder than Nina’s inner voice.
Jeff eventually began dropping hints that he wanted Nina to invest in the various companies he planned to start. At first she would gloss over his suggestions or simply act as though she had not understood his innuendo. But about six months into their relationship, Nina received an impossibly large tax return check. Rather than consulting any of her proven advisors, Nina put her trust in Jeff who was all too happy to assist her – Jeff’s persuaded Nina to endorse the check to him. She never saw most of the money again, which lead to her self-doubt, a complete loss of self-esteem, an abrupt end of her relationship with Jeff, and eventual litigation.
Through introspection, insight, and the support of family, Nina found her footing and stood up to Jeff. She pursued a civil suit, won and was awarded significant punitive damages. However, Jeff moved out of the country, married, and transferred his beach condominium into his new wife’s name. Nina has not received a penny of the award money from her judgment against Jeff.
Shortly after the trial, Nina received a letter from the Franchise Tax Board advising that they had erroneously issued her the tax return. She was to immediately send them a check for speciously converted funds. It took her ten years to pay the money back…
NOTE. The names and some details in this story were changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
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